Hong Kong Pleco

[sic0198]

Are these good little fish to put in a 10 gallon? Do they get aggressive?

 

[black angel]

Only in a fast flowing cold water tank with others of their own kind. I think 10 gallons may be too small as well.

 

[yvez9]

I've had one for 2 years in a 10, then 20 and now a 30 gallon tank (we moved it for convenience as he was fine in his original tank)

i'm not sure why people claim they need fast flowing water, i know that's where they live, but mine has been fine in a regular tank for over 2 years now. They aren't agressive at all. they usually stick to the glass although mine has gotten a liking for the sand in the 30 gallon tank. they eat bacteria off stuck to the surfaces inside the tank so no specific feeding is necessary though i often see mine eating the cory pellets and flakes that make it to the bottom. they're quite fun to watch when they get excited!

 

[Nevergone815]

I've had one for 2 years in a 10, then 20 and now a 30 gallon tank (we moved it for convenience as he was fine in his original tank)

i'm not sure why people claim they need fast flowing water, i know that's where they live, but mine has been fine in a regular tank for over 2 years now. They aren't agressive at all. they usually stick to the glass although mine has gotten a liking for the sand in the 30 gallon tank. they eat bacteria off stuck to the surfaces inside the tank so no specific feeding is necessary though i often see mine eating the cory pellets and flakes that make it to the bottom. they're quite fun to watch when they get excited!

I agree, as long as its a coldwater tank, you don't have ot worry about anyhting really. The flow of the filters would work great for the "stream flow". Buyt having a river setup would be pretty cool to have and I want to set one up myself!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I've had one for 2 years in a 10, then 20 and now a 30 gallon tank (we moved it for convenience as he was fine in his original tank)

i'm not sure why people claim they need fast flowing water, i know that's where they live, but mine has been fine in a regular tank for over 2 years now. They aren't agressive at all. they usually stick to the glass although mine has gotten a liking for the sand in the 30 gallon tank. they eat bacteria off stuck to the surfaces inside the tank so no specific feeding is necessary though i often see mine eating the cory pellets and flakes that make it to the bottom. they're quite fun to watch when they get excited!

I would have to disagree. They come from very fast flowing cool mountain rivers, everything about the way their body shape has evolved is to cope with such a life.
They primarily eat algae off smooth rocks found in the fast flowing streams and because they have evolved to live in a very high oxygen environment, they also depend on having a lot of oxygen in the water that surrounds them.
The no.1 causes of death of hong kong plecos is starvation and/or suffoction over a long period of time in tanks. They are not scavengers but are instead primarily algae grazers, and if yours are only eating or appear exited over catfish pelets and flakes it means they are probably desperately hungry if if there's no algae for them to eat (flakes and pelets do not make a good diet for hillstream loaches).
You should read up on these articles written by an expert on hillstream loach keeping;

http/www.loaches.com/articles/hillstream...n-the-fast-lane

http/www.loaches.com/species-index/beauf...a-kweichowensis

Despite one of their names as "hong kong pleco" this in fact is very innacurate as they are not plecos but are in fact loaches, their more correct common name is hillstream loach.
They are also not coldwater (which is 18 degrees or colder) fish, but are rather in fact sub-tropical (19-23 degree's) fish, and keeping them in temps too cold is almost as bad as keeping them in temps too warm. The ideal temp range for these loaches is 20-23 degreesC.
The best habitat for these fish is a river tank type setup, which is basically a highly filtered and oxygenated tank;

http/www.loaches.com/articles/river-tank-manifold-design